Savannah port vital to landing 1,400-job factory

ATLANTA — In announcing the decision to build a 1,400-job factory in Athens, executives with Caterpillar Inc. said Friday the port of Savannah was central to why they picked Georgia over other states wooing them.

“Logistics is a primary success factor for our business, and the proximity of Athens to the Savannah port will be a major, major plus for us,” said Mary Bell, vice president of Cat’s Building Construction Products Division.

Three hours by truck, the port will be used both for importing materials and for exporting 40 percent of the heavy, earth-moving machinery to be assembled in Athens at the $200-million factory.

“We consider ourselves to be the logistics hub of the Southeast and, in fact, the entrée to the rest of the country,” he said. “And, as has been pointed out, with 40 percent of the product being exported, we also consider ourselves to be a prime state for exports, and I want to thank the Ports Authority.”

Savannah is one of the few U.S. ports that exports more than it imports.

If the port was so important, why didn’t Caterpillar pick the state’s mega site in Pooler instead of its Athens mega site?

Chris Cummiskey, state commissioner of economic development, said it didn’t get the chance.

The state’s industrial-recruitment staff didn’t show the construction-equipment maker the Pooler site because it had other active prospects considering it, he said.

Bell estimated the Athens factory would draw another 2,800 jobs to the state from suppliers. Since they will be vendors equipped to supply multinational companies like Caterpillar, many of those may also need the port to ship materials in and finished parts out to other customers.

Cummiskey said Georgia’s strategy in attracting large manufacturers is to build strengths in multiple areas, from the logistical network that includes ports, railroads and highways to its Quickstart worker-training program and not rely solely the financial incentives it offers.

The competition with other states for Caterpillar illustrates that, he said.

“I would say in terms of dollar value for tax credits and all of that stuff, we were told that basically all three state finalists were very similar,” he said. “I believe that (credit goes to) our work-force development, our ability to bring suppliers here, and our access to the port and having the most efficient port in the country that most of them are relying on.”

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